The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of grapevine, which will hereinafter be denominated varietally as the "552" grapevine, and, more particularly, to a grapevine which produces seedless fruit, which are mature for commercial harvesting and shipment approximately August 1 to August 20 in the San Joaquin Valley of central California.
The "Flame Seedless" grapevine has been a very successful commercial variety for numerous reasons. Principally, the "Flame Seedless" grapevine produces high quality and high colored fruit which are ripe for commercial harvesting and shipment in the San Joaquin Valley of California in approximately mid July. The red skin coloration and excellent flavor causes the fruit to have a virtually universal appeal.
Where a variety excels in the marketplace, it has long been recognized that there is a commercial advantage in the development of varieties having closely similar characteristics which are available for market immediately after the end of the season for the existing commercially successful variety. This, in effect, extends the commercial season by continuing to be able to fill the market demand and retain commercial interest in the marketplace. While the desirability for finding such a new variety relative to the "Flame Seedless" grapevine has been recognized, no such new variety has previously been discovered which was entirely successful. The variety of the instant invention appears to be a promising candidate to fill this void.